Moving to Colorado in the Spring. Which city is best for me? (Denver: ski resort)

[somethingsweaty]

I've decided to move to Colorado for the lifestyle. I love the outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, etc. The only problem is these activities are quite boring or nonexistent here in South Georgia.

I realize that it is going to be difficult to find a job while I'm still here in Georgia. I'll have somewhere between $7-10,000 saved up by this spring and plan to drive out and find a place to live and use my savings to float me until I find a job. I currently work as a mechanical engineering technician and would like to continue working in this same field. What would be a good location for me to look for work that isn't too far from the outdoor activities? I would like to be within an hours drive of a ski resort if possible.

Thanks,
-SS

[NW Crow]

Maybe start in Denver metro in a place like Lakewood (about 1 hr to ski in best circumstances), then change later / go further out if you want.

[CosmicWizard]

Is it merely a coincidence that Colorado has a town called Colorado Springs and you are planning to move to Colorado in the spring. Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something!

[Arrby]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Is it merely a coincidence that Colorado has a town called Colorado Springs and you are planning to move to Colorado in the spring. Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something!

Humor aside, even the Springs most ardent advocates would not claim it is an hour drive to skiing from there. But you might find everything else you want there.

[jazzlover]

The old saying really holds true here: "Before you jump off of the pier, you really need to make sure there is some water underneath it." I would not relocate to Colorado (or anywhere else these days) without having a job offer in hand--even if it meant standing the expense of some trips for interviews, etc. in order to secure such a job offer.

[fleurecarlate2013]

Golden is closer to the mountains as well.

[Dewmik]

As you are in engineering I'd look towards Golden theres several companies there that might gave goid jobd. Or Longmont Loveland. There's oil fields there. Fracking is becoming popular now to.

[jwiley]

I would be careful moving to Colorado thinking you will find a mechanical engineering job within a couple of months look heavily into the job market before moving. I have 2 guys I know that just had to leave Colorado due to lack of jobs in mechanical engineering, one ending up getting a job in Illinois and the other one somewhere down in Texas, engineering jobs are one of those jobs where they pay well enough to attract from throughout the country and Colorado is an attractive state at the moment plus you have the School of Mines in Golden spitting out engineering students. Highly competitive job market to say the least.

[Bmalt]

In theory it's better to have a job first, but few companies are going to consider an out of state address in this economy when there's plenty of local talent. That was my experience anyway when I tried to find a job before I moved out 10 years ago. I wasn't able to, so I moved without a job and only a few hundred in savings and everything worked out.

If you must be within an hour of skiing, and your career is pretty specific, looks like your only choice is Denver metro. That said, I'd highly recommend Golden. You can still commute anywhere in the Denver area for work, but Golden itself feels pretty cut off from Denver, is an outdoors paradise, and is right on the entry into the mountains.